The number of people enjoying the sport of skiing has increased dramatically in the last decade. One of the major reasons for this increase is the rapid advance in ski equipment design. Lighter weight and more comfortable ski boots, more sophisticated and safer ski bindings along with the lighter weight materials used in fabricating skis and ski poles have broadened the appeal of the sport and enabled many thousands to participate who would otherwise have not done so. This increase in the number of skiing participants has resulted in an opening of a number of new ski areas and expansions of those already in existence.
Despite all of the advances in the design of the ski equipment and the increase in the number and size of skiing areas, the skier, whether he/she is a competition racer or merely a week-end recreational skier, is confronted with the fundamental problem of transporting the ski equipment from the parking area or lodge to the skiing area. Although the skis, bindings and poles are typically not heavy, their sheer size makes them unwieldy to carry and maneuver especially when the ski area is crowded.
There have been numerous devices developed over the years for carrying skis and poles. These devices have assumed all sizes and shapes in an attempt to make the skier's task more manageable, but none has completely or adequately solved the problem. In one of the more popular devices, the skis and poles are held in position on either side of a central section while a pair of flaps are folded over the outside. A tongue on one of the flaps is inserted through a slot in the center section and a slot in the opposite flap and is held in position by the insertion of a cable locking device. Although this device works adequately once it is fastened together, the skier is confronted with a difficult, if not virtually impossible, task of holding a pair of skis and ski poles against either side of this center section with one hand while attempting to fold two flaps over and insert the tongue with the other hand. Since this task is virtually impossible while wearing ski gloves or mittens, the skier must remove them and incur the inconvenience of cold hands or, under extreme conditions, risk the danger of frost bite.
In another device, the carrier consists of a pair of tongue-like elements pivotally joined near the center with a pair of handles and a cavity for carrying ski poles located above the pivot and a cavity for retaining the skis located below the pivot. Again, however, the skier is confronted with the problem of holding four elements, i.e., two skis and two ski poles, in position while attempting to close the cavities with the other hand. While it appears that this device renders the problem somewhat more manageable, it still remains a formidable task.
Another of the prior art devices consists of a pair of parallel ski gripping plates, spring-biased away from each other. In order to use this device, the skier must, once again, hold his skis between the plates while forcing the plates towards each other and manipulating a tongue which extends from one plate through the opposite plate. Once the plates are pressed against the skis, a ratchet on the tongue is engaged with a slot on one of the plates to hold them in position. Again, the skier is confronted with the problem of manipulating a plurality of articles with one hand while having to carry out complicated manipulations with the other hand in order to lock the device in position.
Other devices are known wherein the skis and poles are attached to separate portions of the carrier. While these devices render the manipulations somewhat easier, they do not provide adequate safeguards against unauthorized removal of either the skis or the poles. The skis and poles are retained in position by toggle clamps and no provision is made for locking the equipment in the carrier. This is a great disadvantage, since skiers must often leave their skis and poles in a designated area at the resort when eating meals or taking a break from skiing.
Thus, as can be seen, the prior art ski equipment carriers are not capable of being easily opened and closed with one hand, providing separate, attachable elements for holding the skis and the ski poles, nor are they capable of locking the elements together to provide adequate safeguards against theft of the equipment.